Palm Sunday

March 28, 2010

8:00 a.m. Early Worship in Chapel

 9:00 a.m. Praise & Contemporary Worship- in (Stainton Room)

9:30 a.m. Sunday School

10:45 a.m. Morning Worship

The Hosanna’s ended shortly after Jesus’ “Palm Sunday procession” as the crowds dispersed and Jesus moved through the week toward the cross.  Worship on Palm Sunday will begin with palms, but move quickly to focus on Jesus’ crucifixion.  Join us as we consider the full gift given and the sacrifice paid because of Jesus’ passion for the world. 

Palms woven in the shape of a cross will be given to those worshipping.

         (Nursery Care will be provided)

Maundy Thursday

April 1, 2010

7:00 p.m.

The Maundy Thursday service will be a special time of worship, fellowship, and time to celebrate Holy Communion.  A special aspect to this service is when we gather all of the small groups that have been meeting throughout Lent, to join along with others from the congregation.  At this service we will also enjoy the ministry of Rev. Jim Hughes.  Jim has been serving as an evangelist through using his gifts of music and drama.  He will be sharing a special presentation with us entitled, “The Thief”.  Rev. Hughes has been service in this ministry for over 30 years and is also an associate member of the Francis Asbury Society.  For more information on Rev. Hughes you can visit his website at http://www.jimhughesministries.org/

Three-hour Watch

Good Friday, April 2, 2010

12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.

Clergy from participating Ocean City churches will preach on The Seven Last Words of Christ. Our choir will present “The Crucifixion” by John Stainer as part of this service, and will lead the congregation in singing the traditional hymns of the day. At the conclusion of the service a bell will be rung 33 times--- once for each year of our Lord’s life here on earth.

Good Friday Tenebrae

April 2, 2010

 7:00 p.m.

The service of worship for this night is taken from an early Christian service called Tenebrae. The name Tenebrae is the Latin word for darkness or shadows. On this night through scripture, anthems and hymns we experience Christ's pain and suffering on the day of His crucifixion. One of the most conspicuous features of the service is the gradual extinguishing of candles until the church is almost in total darkness.

Dear Easter Christians!

There is nothing more meaningful than the worship services between Palm Sunday and Easter.  If you want to add energy, vitality, a revival of your innermost hopes and dreams to your spiritual life, attend all the worship opportunities at St. Peter’s UMC during Holy Week.  Through those services we remember Jesus’ Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem.  We can imagine their excitement as they anticipate their liberation from the Roman Empire.  Jesus was, for a short moment in time, their greatest hope.  The week’s events move on to Jesus’ last supper with his disciples and his arrest on Maundy Thursday.  The disciples also anticipated that Jesus would become the new leader of a realm resembling that of King David’s.  They too wanted a return of their golden era.  It must have come as a shock when Jesus willingly allowed himself to be arrested, when their hopes were crushed.  They feared for their lives.  Events then turn to his trial, a complete mockery of justice, his brutal beating by the Praetorian guards, his horrible crucifixion on a storm darkened hillside near the city walls, and his burial in a borrowed tomb on Good Friday.  The week ends with him lying dead in a cold and stone sealed tomb, but the new week begins with his glorious resurrection in the early hours of that first Easter Sunday morning.

Unless we have allowed ourselves to travel with our Lord through each event, including his suffering and death, we really will only have a shallow understanding of Easter.  Don’t let this happen to you.  Come and join us for this special week in the life of the Christian church and in the life of St. Peter’s United Methodist Church.

Come, express your gratitude to Jesus Christ and experience the true joy of Easter!